Robinswood

I grew up in Robinswood. My parents bought a 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bathrooms, double garage for $15,000 in 1955. It was to be my parents starter home but they ended up living there until the end. I lived with my mother for 12 years, as she declined and died in her home December 2012. It became my adult home too. I love Robinswood Park and walking around Phantom Lake, almost daily. I've been dismayed to watch new people move in and cut down the beautiful Douglas Fir trees. Bellevue really needs stricter tree cutting laws. My mother left the house to my three brothers and I. I tried to buy out my brothers and qualified for a $360,000 mortgage with 1/4 down, which was a going price in 2013. I worked at the UofW, as an adviser, and only made $52,000/year. My Construction Management chauvinistic brothers said no, they'd sell the house for more. They put $10,000 more into the house but only sold it for $370,000. There are still hard feelings, with them throwing me under the bus. This same house would now go for $1.2 million. Robinswood has become a tear-down neighborhood. Builders are buying these ramblers for these high prices, tearing them down and then building 5 bedroom 5 bathroom homes and selling them for $3..4 - 4.5 million. They sell quickly because of the convenient and pretty location. A neighbor sold her rambler for $725,000 in 2020, they tore it down and built a house to put on the market for $3,400,000 (but had to come down $152,000 to $3,298,000.00). The neighbors across the street have been offered 1.5 million for their four bedroom rambler (a bedroom had been added on). I had bought a condo in Issaquah for $275,000 in 2013. I sold it in 2020 for $510,000.00. I was near I-90 and the noise bothered me. But it was two-bedrooms, two-bathrooms and a garage, 1100 sq. ft.. I had planned to immediately buy another condo in a quieter place. But COVID hit. So, I've been in an apartment, in Bellevue, 650 sq. ft., $1725/month + $335/month storage. I've retired from the UofW, but have had to take on an Amazon job, as a Grocer Associate, to make ends meet. I'm afraid I've been priced out of the market. I'll probably need to find low-income housing, once I can no longer work. I'd like to stay in Bellevue. It is home. But, I'm not sure where I'll find housing.